How do you keep your books in good condition?

Discussions on books and other reference material on the WW1, Inter-War or WW2 as well as the authors. Hosted by Andy H.
Forward00
Member
Posts: 118
Joined: 13 Jan 2017, 16:20
Location: United Kingdom

How do you keep your books in good condition?

#1

Post by Forward00 » 15 Aug 2018, 10:32

Either on a shelf or in storage they collect dust, so what is the best way to preserve the condition of your books?

OpanaPointer
Financial supporter
Posts: 5644
Joined: 16 May 2010, 15:12
Location: United States of America

Re: How do you keep your books in good condition?

#2

Post by OpanaPointer » 15 Aug 2018, 11:55

I have a copy of the Congressional Investigation into the Pearl Harbor Attack, forty volumes. They're stored in a plastic barrel with a regulator that keeps the pure nitrogen environment at slightly above air pressure. Impractical for most people, of course. But you have to consider access vs. protection. Plastic storage bins will keep the dust off but can be awkward to access if the book you're after is in the bottom bin of a stack of six.

So, work the other way 'round. How often do you need to access the books? From that consider which system(s) would work to allow that level of access?
Come visit our sites:
hyperwarHyperwar
World War II Resources

Bellum se ipsum alet, mostly Doritos.


Forward00
Member
Posts: 118
Joined: 13 Jan 2017, 16:20
Location: United Kingdom

Re: How do you keep your books in good condition?

#3

Post by Forward00 » 19 Aug 2018, 10:31

I need some sort of storage that allows them to keep well, currently sitting on shelves collecting all sorts of dust!

Forward00
Member
Posts: 118
Joined: 13 Jan 2017, 16:20
Location: United Kingdom

Re: How do you keep your books in good condition?

#4

Post by Forward00 » 07 Dec 2018, 09:25

OpanaPointer wrote:
15 Aug 2018, 11:55
I have a copy of the Congressional Investigation into the Pearl Harbor Attack, forty volumes. They're stored in a plastic barrel with a regulator that keeps the pure nitrogen environment at slightly above air pressure. Impractical for most people, of course. But you have to consider access vs. protection. Plastic storage bins will keep the dust off but can be awkward to access if the book you're after is in the bottom bin of a stack of six.

So, work the other way 'round. How often do you need to access the books? From that consider which system(s) would work to allow that level of access?
I'm going to order myself some small plastic storage boxes for my books, they are getting ruined just sitting on the shelf

User avatar
Jeff Leach
Host - Archive section
Posts: 1433
Joined: 19 Jan 2010, 10:08
Location: Stockholm, Sweden

Re: How do you keep your books in good condition?

#5

Post by Jeff Leach » 07 Dec 2018, 09:48

There are special plastic bags for magazines and plastic covers for the dust jackets, would be surprise if there aren't plastic bags especially for book. I have noticed that the paper quality is so bad (high acid content) on half my hardcovers is so bad, that after five years the pages are really brown. Most of these books won't last 20 years so there is no use trying to take care of them.

A few suggestion to minimize dust.

1.) bookcase with doors
2.) you can lay a cloth over the tops of the books to catch dust

Keep the books out of the sun too. The parts of the book exposed to the sun will start to bleach after a number of years.

OpanaPointer
Financial supporter
Posts: 5644
Joined: 16 May 2010, 15:12
Location: United States of America

Re: How do you keep your books in good condition?

#6

Post by OpanaPointer » 07 Dec 2018, 13:01

Jeff Leach wrote:
07 Dec 2018, 09:48

Keep the books out of the sun too. The parts of the book exposed to the sun will start to bleach after a number of years.
Boss Lady has curtains on her bookcases that face windows.

When we moved in to this house she had several cases of books. She told me to put them on the shelves and sort them by subject. No problem.


Image
Come visit our sites:
hyperwarHyperwar
World War II Resources

Bellum se ipsum alet, mostly Doritos.

User avatar
Truckman
Member
Posts: 44
Joined: 23 Mar 2012, 20:18
Location: Conroe Texas

Re: How do you keep your books in good condition?

#7

Post by Truckman » 07 Dec 2018, 15:34

OpanaPointer wrote:
07 Dec 2018, 13:01
She told me to put them on the shelves and sort them by subject. No problem.
I'm guessing that the obvious wear on that walking cane occurred when you showed her your organizational skills...How many days did it take before the throbbing started to go away?... :oops: ...Ben

OpanaPointer
Financial supporter
Posts: 5644
Joined: 16 May 2010, 15:12
Location: United States of America

Re: How do you keep your books in good condition?

#8

Post by OpanaPointer » 07 Dec 2018, 18:54

Truckman wrote:
07 Dec 2018, 15:34
OpanaPointer wrote:
07 Dec 2018, 13:01
She told me to put them on the shelves and sort them by subject. No problem.
I'm guessing that the obvious wear on that walking cane occurred when you showed her your organizational skills...How many days did it take before the throbbing started to go away?... :oops: ...Ben
Good drugs make for light work. 8-)
Come visit our sites:
hyperwarHyperwar
World War II Resources

Bellum se ipsum alet, mostly Doritos.

Michael Kenny
Member
Posts: 8251
Joined: 07 May 2002, 20:40
Location: Teesside

Re: How do you keep your books in good condition?

#9

Post by Michael Kenny » 07 Dec 2018, 21:06

Don't read them. If you use a book as a reference and thus frequently get it off the shelf a lot the no matter how careful you are the edges/corners and bottom will scuff. In fact my way of telling how useful a book is how battered it looks.
If you want books as a resource (rather than a trophy to impress and hopefully increase in value) then you are never going to have a 'mint' 'copy of anything. The bulk of modern binding is very poor anyway and I doubt anything you purchase early in the hobby will still be in one piece on your demise-even if you never opened it!
Last edited by Michael Kenny on 08 Dec 2018, 02:38, edited 1 time in total.

Trilisser, M. A.
Member
Posts: 51
Joined: 11 Oct 2018, 21:39
Location: Pohjois-Savo

Re: How do you keep your books in good condition?

#10

Post by Trilisser, M. A. » 08 Dec 2018, 00:59

Untrue. E.g. my copy of Rene Francillon's Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War has seen lots of use and and is still on excellent condition. The trick is having archival plastic sleeve on the dust jacket and careful handling with clean hands etc.

Michael Kenny
Member
Posts: 8251
Joined: 07 May 2002, 20:40
Location: Teesside

Re: How do you keep your books in good condition?

#11

Post by Michael Kenny » 08 Dec 2018, 02:08

I have owned some books for more than 50 years and know exactly how they 'damage'. Sunlight, dust, rubbing, damp, incorrect stacking etc have all been a problem. With books in the multi-thousands I reckon I have a lot of experience in the book durability and it all comes down to what you think a book is. To me it is a vessel for delivering knowledge. I see it as a container and my no.1 concern is the content of the book not the box it came in. I don't abuse books but over the decades all kinds of calamity has befallen me. Books get dropped. they get liquid spilt on them they fall over and lie at an angle whilst the rest of the shelf leans in and deforms them etc. However for me the most serious damage is caused when you have a tightly packed shelf and try and extract a book by putting your finger at the top or bottom of the spine to pull it out. That and the rubbing on a book that is used a lot. If I get a new book I spend a lot of time running down all the previous books reference in the new one so a lot of book extracting for me. My most extreme example would be this expensive book where the normal 'checking a reference' and taking it on and off the shelf has damaged both covers and spine.
Wittmann Agte..... (1).jpg
Scanning sections of the book is a gamble as every now and again you split the spine but sometimes you have to risk it.

OpanaPointer
Financial supporter
Posts: 5644
Joined: 16 May 2010, 15:12
Location: United States of America

Re: How do you keep your books in good condition?

#12

Post by OpanaPointer » 08 Dec 2018, 02:36

If I need to refer to a book frequently I make a PDF copy.
Come visit our sites:
hyperwarHyperwar
World War II Resources

Bellum se ipsum alet, mostly Doritos.

uhu
Member
Posts: 405
Joined: 05 Jan 2004, 14:00
Location: US

Re: How do you keep your books in good condition?

#13

Post by uhu » 09 Dec 2018, 01:02

If you receive a used book(s) for your collection always give them a light microwave to make sure there are no paper eating critters such as Silverfish or their eggs which are sometimes found in the book spines. My shelves are in my basement and dehumidified to a relative 50% year round. when dusting the top of the books I use a cloth dampened with mildew cleaning shower curtain cleaner.

OpanaPointer
Financial supporter
Posts: 5644
Joined: 16 May 2010, 15:12
Location: United States of America

Re: How do you keep your books in good condition?

#14

Post by OpanaPointer » 09 Dec 2018, 01:28

I ordered the Marshall Cavendish encyclopedia once and I could smell the mold before I opened the box! I demanded a refund. The dealer wanted the books back first. I asked him how many times he'd sold that set. Threats of legal action finally got my refund. I burned the books.
Come visit our sites:
hyperwarHyperwar
World War II Resources

Bellum se ipsum alet, mostly Doritos.

Trilisser, M. A.
Member
Posts: 51
Joined: 11 Oct 2018, 21:39
Location: Pohjois-Savo

Re: How do you keep your books in good condition?

#15

Post by Trilisser, M. A. » 09 Dec 2018, 19:36

As a bibliophile I am frankly shocked by the way Kenny has raped the book in the photos. I would not take a book in that condition even for free. It would ruin my bookshelf.

I would attach photos of my copy of Francillon's Japanese Aircraft book to show how to respect books if the forum allowed.

Post Reply

Return to “Books & other Reference Material”